No Main Vents? Uneven heat

Goody

I am a new member to this site and I am excited it exists because I purchased a 3 unit building in Portland Maine and I am very new to steam.  Already read "We've got Steam" and have been reading threads on this wall for the last few days.  I have very uneven heating, some radiators barely get hot, burning tons of oil, clogged air vents and no insulation on pipes. I have lot's of questions but think I will start with the Main Line Vents.  I have two 2.5 inch lines totalling about 40 feet in the basement. NO VENTS on any of the Mains.   From those Main Lines I see  1 inch pipes that  drop below and runs back to the boiler.'..... where there are  three vent looking things called Vent-Rite.  Are these consider Main Line Vents???  I attached a picture. 

Goody

Here is another Picture

This is an example of the pipes that drop below the Main and loop back to boiler where the Vent-Rite is attached.

jpf321

shall we assume 1-pipe?

shall we assume 1-pipe system?



for 40ft of 2.5" pipe .. that's 1.2cf of air that needs to be eliminated .. if you wanted to set your "time to vent" at 1min @ 1oz, as steamhead suggested recently, you would need the venting capacity of (1pc of gorton #2 + 1pc of gorton #1)



jpf

Jamie Hall

Maybe not

The Vent-Rites are main vents. They probably aren't big enough, though... Not all systems have the main vents at the ends of the steam mains!  It looks like yours has it set up so that they were clustered at the boiler and fed by those 1 inch lines.  This is not particularly common in one pipe systems, but there are a number of two pipe systems which are set up this way.  I can't quite make out from the second photo whether the drop from the main to the smaller pipe is just two elbows, or if there is another fitting in there -- perhaps a trap?



Is this thing really one pipe, or two?



First thing to do, though, while you are thinking about various things, is to find a local emporium that sells pipe insulation and insulate everything you can reach that isn't insulated.  It will help with the oil bill, and may also help with the unevenness.

Goody

Thanks

Thanks to both of you.  I did insulate all the main lines with 1 inch pipe insulation.  Can I insulate the T's and Elbows with regular fiberglass insulation and then tape it or do I have to buy insulation to fit.  Also it is a 1 pipe system and those must be traps i guess. 

I plan to install Gortons.. so thank you for the help with how many.  Do I drill and tap those in or should I drill and weld a nipple for the Gortons to attach.  Is it risky drilling into tops of these pipes?  Also, I have very little room at end of main and the branch that goes upstairs. I think my book said 15 inches past from the end.  Thanks Again.  This site is great. 

jpf321

i tapped

i drilled and tapped, but my pipes were only 75yrs old .. you need a 1/2" NPT (1/2" is recommended and will support 2pcs of gorton #2) pipe tap and a 45/64ths drill bit...i did not have the room to go back the recommended 15inches nor the recommended 6inches above main and mine work fine...the reason for the dimensional setback is to try to keep water out of them i think .. but the steam is going to get in there and condense so water will be in them regardless ..



this site is wonderful, but it's sometimes difficult to go back and find a particular post. like the discussion of why the location setbacks are in place, or how best to tap.

Goody

Double Vents

Thanks. I'm excited to install the main vents. I think i'll install a Gorton #2 on both my mains.  I really think it is going to be a huge step in the right direction.  I just read an article by John Schulz recommended on this site and he was talking about putting 2 air vents on the big radiators farthest from the boiler.  Is this a risky thing to do?  (tapping a radiator)  I like the idea.

jpf321

i tapped

i tapped my first 2 rads yesterday .. it went smoothly .. you need a 1/8th" NPT pipe tap and a 21/64ths drill bit. instead of putting 2 vents on a single rad, i adjusted my figures to get me to a #D vent on my largest (Cubic Foot/Minute rad+riser) and worked backwards from there...



another way to go instead of tapping .. is using 1/8th nipple + 1/8 T + 1/8th nipple + 1/8elbow and installing 2 vents that way. 1/8th pipe will support a string of 3pcs or 4pcs of #D.

Goody

varivalve vents

Thanks.  I assume #D means the size of the vent.  I was getting ready to order some VariValve vents (Heat-Timer) through PexSupply.  They are $15.90 a piece for a box of 10.  I read some good reviews and they are much cheaper than replacing the Dole 1-A.  Any reason why not to use these vents? 

nicholas bonham-carter

radiator or main vents?

steam pipe insulation is a necessity, even batts wrapped around the pipe will suffice for a couple of years.

first, i would spend the money on main vents-lots of capacity. then you can concentrate on the radiator vents. most likely, your radiator vents are functioning well, as it is the main vents which do all the work of letting the air out. if they have been badly installed, they could have been damaged with water-hammer [3- cycles=paperweight]. make sure your pressure is under control with a good gauge [gaugestore.com, 0-3 psi].

buy the steam bible here.--nbc